Panel 1: I’d have to sound the dreaded Overdialoguing Alert on this panel, but for an unusual reason: namely, the fact that it features eight different word balloons from four different characters, which is a tad excessive. OTOH, though, I’d much rather see that than a single character expounding at length for eight word balloons.

Panel 2: For the record, “POIK” is a rarely used but long-standing sound FX of mine, deployed in a comical manner to indicate soft flesh being poked or pressed by another object. (Ahem.) IIRC, I might’ve first used this FX in Dirty Pair with Yuri when she realized she was prodding Kei’s fleshy belly—and not a disguised mecha—with her foot. (I might be wrong, though, as I don’t have a copy of DP: A Plague of Angels handy.)

Panel 3: Rest assured, dear webcomic readers, that you will see this ninja weapon in action before too long. (That is, assuming you think “90-odd pages from now” counts as “before too long.”)

Today’s Patreon update: As it’s a Wednesday, time for the $5+ Patron tiers to get their weekly dose of commissioned damsel-in-distress content, along the lines of the material that eventually spawned Empowered years ’n’ years ago.

-Adam Warren